The Cabin on Dwarf Terrace-9; Dimension FH-001; Saturday Evening [09/23].

[somethingwithturquoise]

The nice thing about having access to portals and a space ship was that if you wanted to get away for a while, you could really get away. No one cared about Dwarf Terrace-9; the most action Dwarf Terrace-9 had seen since the time the Smith family claimed it as a temporary home more than five years ago was when Summer took her class there earlier that week. But the cabin was still in good shape, and now that she and Stark had arrived for the weekend....well, it was definitely going to see a lot of action now.

Well, not at the moment, though. The tour of the planet had been very quick because, well, it was a tiny planet, you could literally travel around the whole thing in, like, half a day, and then they went inside to get things set up (how did a cabin that had been abandoned for five years still have all its utilities and power? Don't worry about it). There were cozy sweaters and hot chocolate and popcorn, and now it was time to pick a movie.

"So," said Summer, as she settled on the couch and snuggled in, "what are we watching?"

[[ for the glowy alien and NFB for distance, natch! ]]

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[somethingwithturquoise]

"Just the movie," Summer assured him, shaking her head dismissively, and she let out another laugh, with maybe a slight edge of uncertainty to it. "I could've sworn, for a second there..." But she laughed it off one more time, this time waving it away with her hand, "...but that's ridiculous, we're the only sentient life forms on this planet right now! Anyway, where were we?"

Was it kissing? Because Summer was just going to go back to kissing now.

[stykera]

Stark was hardly going to object to more kissing. Stark would never object to an opportunity to kiss Summer.

"Mmm, right here," he said. He was going to pull her a little closer, letting his other hand fall from her hair so he could slid it under her sweater as well.

The sweater was going to have to come off soon.

[somethingwithturquoise]

That sweater was definitely just getting in the way, really. On the screen, the woman on the movie was screaming about something, but Summer wasn't paying attention, too wrapped up in getting back to where they were and then some.

Enough that she eventually pulled away to gather up the hem of her shirt to pull it off over her head and tossed it aside.

And when it landed, it seemed to make a much louder whomp sound that one would expect. In fact, no one should expect a sweater to make a sound like that at all.

"What the--" she said, looking over with a frown, and then a worried look toward the window, and then to Stark.

"That had to have just been the movie," she reasoned, but doubt swept in quickly, "right?"

[stykera]

Stark had vaguely noticed the sound but there was suddenly so much skin available that he hadn't paid attention until Summer had spoken. He'd been far too busy running his hands along Summer's sides and pressing a kiss to her collarbone. He looked up reluctantly.

"It... yes. We're alone. But it didn't come from that side of the room. But there can't be anyone here. Can there? No. Just a noise."

He didn't sound very confident in that assessment but this was Stark.

[somethingwithturquoise]

Sorry, Stark, but the little goosebumps springing up on Summer's skin had nothing to with those roving hands or even that kiss that would have otherwise been very appreciated. It was entirely thanks to an unsettling feeling creeping in on her, no doubt only amplified by the dramatic music from the movie as, having heard the scream, the fiancé was slowly moving down the long, dark hallway to investigate.

But she looked at Stark and felt his confidence waning and sucked in a breath. "No, you're right," she said, maybe trying to convince herself just as much as she was him. "Just a noise. Nothing to worry about."

As if to prove it, she moved in to kiss him again, but didn't get very deep into it before another sound from outside caught her attention, this one sounding like a strange, muffled clattering.

"Okay," she said, pulling back and frowning now at the door, "I know that wasn't the movie."

[stykera]

Stark followed her gaze to the door and shook his head. His hands had stilled; gently supportive now rather than appreciatively exploring.

"No. That was outside. That was...I don't know. But there's no one here."

Maybe Leroy had stowed away on the ship and was having a fit outside?

[somethingwithturquoise]

That would earn Leroy a lightning quick fast-track portal straight to Screaming Sun Planet.

"Do you think," Summer asked, her concerned frown now turning toward Stark, "we should look into it?"

But she was already moving away from him off the couch, not necessarily to go rushing toward the window to check it out, but if anything, to grab her sweater to pull it back on because if shit was about to get fucked, she did not want to be the chick running around without her shirt on, thank you.

[stykera]

"Better to be certain," Stark said as he reluctantly stood up and faced the door.

He had his little gun and he still had all his clothing on. The gun was in his hand before he started walking.

"There must be animals somewhere? Maybe it's just wildlife." No. He didn't believe it either.

[somethingwithturquoise]

"There's no way," Summer insisted, frowning a little as she realized, knelt beside her duffel bag by the couch, that there might actually be such a thing as too many weapons after all when she found herself struggling to decide which one to even go with in this situation. "We accidentally hunted out the only species that lived on this planet to extinction when we were here last time. I mean, granted, that was five years ago, so I guess something else could have evolved or colonized it, but we didn't see any--"

She cut herself off sharply, as there was a loud thump and the sound of something dragging on the porch outside, and her eyes widened. Without even looking, she pulled out her blaster and a dagger from the bag and looked at Stark with wide eyes.

[stykera]

Stark was definitely filing away that 'hunted the only species to extinction' information for later. Now was not the time. Not that he could claim moral superiority. Moya's crew had done plenty of things they weren't proud of.

He tightened his grip on his gun and moved to stand beside her. He glanced toward the door and then back to Summer and nodded. He was ready, or as ready as he could be.

He mouthed an "okay" at her and faced the door.

The noises outside it were worrisome. But there was no one he would rather have by his side.

[somethingwithturquoise]

Accidentally! The accidentally was important!! Like, they had to eat, Stark! What, would you prefer the version of her that wasted away on a tiny planet before ever even coming to Fandom just because she refused to eat adorable tiny pigs to survive?

In the frame of the window looking over the porch, the unknown, unseen figure moved by, a tall, hunched silhouette cloaked by darkness. It paused, turning, and Summer, quickly, grabbed a hold of Stark's sleeve so she could pull him toward the back of the couch where they might be hidden if it looked inside through the window.

Whatever it was out there, it seemed to linger far too long for comfort there at that window, before it continued on, with those slow steps and dragging something as it made its way toward the door, and Summer, desperately, tried to remember if she'd locked it or not. Why would she have? They were supposed to have been alone!

[stykera]

Stark hadn't locked the door. This was a deserted tiny planet! Why did the door even have a lock?

Part of him wanted to run but there was nowhere to go. Standing their ground was better. Even if right now that meant hiding behind the couch, weapons in hand, waiting to see if whoever or whatever was outside was going to come inside.

[somethingwithturquoise]

Summer jumped, suddenly, and had to struggle to choke down a scream as the sound of a chainsaw seemed to rip through the air, but then she realized it was just the movie and she breathed out with a hissing whisper, "What the fuck was I even thinking?"

What she wouldn't give to be able to shut it off as the woman's screams lifted from the attempted attack, but there was no way she could reach the remote, and, besides, the handle on the door was jiggling. Maybe she had locked it after all? Either way, it was clear whatever was outside was struggling with it, and just as she considered firing a shot through the door at about chest length, the door actually flew open, with an incredible force, banging against the wall.

The figure stepped forward, dragging some big hulking thing behind it. Summer pounced, blaster aimed and opening her mouth to shout out, but--

"Jesus Christ, Summer."

Summer stopped mid-shout, blinked, and slightly lowered her gun.

"Grampa Rick?"

Jesus Christ, indeed.

"Ugh," she crumpled slightly, "I'd rather have the homicidal maniac."

[stykera]

Stark had definitely jumped when the door crashed open but if he'd let out a little scream it had been covered by the screams from the movie.

He moved to stand at Summer's shoulder, eyeing this intruder warily. His gun was still at the ready but it wasn't aimed at the other man. For now.

"Grampa?" He echoed very softly.

Oh no.

[somethingwithturquoise]

"What the hell, Summer?" Rick demanded, punctuating it with a staggered, irritated belch of a sound, as he stepped ito the cabin and tossed whatever big, heavy thing in a black bag (really, really, really better off not knowing!) to the side. "An entire fucking multiverse at your fingertips, and you're still re-using one-off locations for your hook-up spots?"

"Well, look who's talking," Summer argued back, giving him a withering look before folding her arms almost petulantly in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

There was a pause, a glance toward the bag. Which was...yup, definitely moving.

"Research," he said.

"Why do you always have to show up at the worst times?"

"Why don't you get your own material?"

"Well," Summer lifted her chin defiantly, "we were here on Tiny Planet first."

"And I," Rick said, digging a flask out of the pocket of his labcoat to take a swig, "didn't come all the way out here to Dwarf Terrace-9--which is its name, Summer, you fucking *brraawp* amateur, not fucking Tiny Planet--just to be shoo'd off so you can get your rocks off. I mean, I guess you can stay, if you're into that, but I'm sure as hell not leaving."

[stykera]

Satisfied that nobody was getting shot or attacked at the moment (though he'd heard enough about Summer's family that was really a guarantee) Stark lowered his gun and stepped even closer to Summer. He laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed once, gently.

"We were here first," he said. His voice stayed quiet. Even. "Didn't you notice the ship?"

It was pink, Rick. It was hard to miss!

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Oh, yeah," said Rick, looking over at Stark with the sort of mildly annoyed look one might give an NPC that had somehow managed to wander into a cut scene it had nothing to do with before it shifted to Summer in a way that seemed to suggest she be better about handling that since he couldn't exactly just eject this guy into space like he did whenever she'd snuck hook-ups into the back of his ship, "I noticed it."

Which meant that this intrusion had been very deliberate and pointed, and Summer knew it and she drew in a deep, deep breath before heaving the most incredulous sigh. "Whatever," she said, turning to start very pointedly gathering her things. "Tiny Planet is turning into a real dump now that the asshole gentrification has started. We were just about to leave anyway."

[stykera]

Stark was used to that sort of look. Stark hated that sort of look.

"That isn't a person in the bag, is it?"

Was that a wise question? Maybe not. But Stark hadn't brought much with him and his own bag was still closed and would be easy enough to grab in a moment.